Canon UK has announced the official launch date and recommended retail prices of its new super-telephoto lenses, the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM. Each lens includes the highest-quality components, and features high-specification image stabiliser technology alongside the use of optical materials such as fluorite, to correct aberrations ensuring high-resolution images rich in detail and contrast. The redesigned, comparatively lightweight construction will provide added mobility alongside enhanced protection against dust and water, the company says. Both lenses will be available from May 2012, with RRPs of £8,999/€10,799 for the 500mm and £11,299/ €13,549 for the 600mm. All of these prices include VAT.

Canon UK has announced the official launch date and recommended retail price of its new flagship full-frame digital SLR camera, the 18-megapixel Canon EOS 1D X. Featuring a newly designed 100,000-pixel RGB metering sensor, redesigned 61-point wide-area AF system, dual DIGIC 5+ processors and Full HD video recording with manual exposure and adjustable audio levels; the Canon EOS-1D X will be available from the end of April 2012, priced at £5,299/€6,299 including VAT.

Canon EOS-1D X Hands-On Photos
Canon EOS-1D X Sample Images

Plustek is set to release a brand new high-end desktop film scanner that will handle both 35mm and medium-format negatives and transparencies. Although the full list of specifications has not been released yet, the Plustek OpticFilm 120 will definitely feature an automatic film advance mechanism, high-quality scanner optics and newly designed film holders that should be able to keep the film strips perfectly flat. Other highlights include multi-sampling, multi-exposure and and an infrared channel that helps with the identification and automated removal of dust marks. Capable of scanning both 35mm and medium format up to a frame size of 6x12cm, the Plustek OpticFilm 120 will come bundled with an IT8 colour calibration target and SilverFast Ai Studio 8 software. The scanner is going to be on display at CeBIT 2012, held in Hannover, Germany, from 6-10 March. Pricing, exact availability and full specifications - including resolution and dMax - have yet to be communicated.

Update: According to a German-language press release published on the Plustek website, the OpticFilm 120 boasts an 8-layer [perhaps 8-element?] lens and a scanning resolution of up to 10,660dpi. Click through / scroll down for a rough translation.

Gitzo UK has announced the re-launch of its popular Gitzo Scrappage Allowance Scheme. Between 20th February and 31st August 2012, customers will have the opportunity to claim up to £100.00 through the Gitzo Scrappage Allowance when they exchange their old camera support for a like-for-like Gitzo monopod, head, tripod or tripod kit. In order to receive the Scrappage Allowance, all customers need to do is visit an authorised Gitzo Five Star dealer, either online or in person, to purchase a new Gitzo support solution. Customers should send their proof of purchase to Gitzo directly along with the old support they wish to scrap and a cheque will be issued to the customer for the designated allowance, broken down as follows: £20.00 scrappage allowance for monopods £30.00 scrappage allowance for heads £60.00 scrappage allowance for tripods £100.00 scrappage allowance for a tripod and head.

The new Manfrotto MVT502AM video tripod with telescopic aluminium twin-tube legs is a lightweight, compact camera support for videographers. It can support payloads of up to 15 kg (33.06lb), ideal for the latest Camcorders, HDSLR or light cameras equipped with accessories such as external lights, monitors or microphones. Compatible with 75mm and 60mm half-ball video heads, the Manfrotto MVT502AM video tripod offers excellent levels of rigidity and stability.

Image Trends have announced a limited-time offer on all of its plug-ins and imaging software products. Valid until 10th March, the offer entitles customers to a 40% discount on the company’s Fisheye-Hemi, PearlyWhites, and ShineOff plug-ins (Mac/Windows) as well as its AutoMatting 1.0, SensorKleen Pro 2.0 and DustKleen programs (Windows only). To take advantage of the offer, use the coupon code PRES40.

Website: Image Trends Catalogue

OhSnap for Facebook replaces the standard Apple iPhone camera by letting the user snap photos that are immediately and automatically posted to Facebook. Optionally, users can choose to post to Facebook with one-touch approval in order to prevent the wrong pictures from being uploaded automatically. Other options include posting to Twitter, e-mailing photos right from the app and choosing if you want to save photos in the camera roll or not. Normally selling for $0.99 on iTunes, OhSnap is free to download until the end of this weekend.

Photographs by MacArthur Foundation “genius award” winner Camilo José Vergara, will be on display at the New-York Historical Society in two rotations — Harlem: The People on view February 17 through June 10 and Harlem: The Place, on June 13 through September 16. The photographs in both exhibitions show streetscapes that the photographer visited repeatedly over the course of thirty-eight years, so he could create a composite, time-lapse portrait of a vibrant, world-famous neighbpurhood seen as a place of ongoing transformation. Selected from the artist’s archive on the Invincible Cities website, the exhibition includes a sequence of photographs showing the evolution of Harlem, its buildings and its people. All of these photographs were donated to the New-York Historical Society by Camilo José Vergara in 2009.

Other World Computing (OWC) has expanded the storage capacity of its Mercury Elite Pro dual-bay desktop storage solution line to 8TB. The 8TB Mercury Elite Pro Dual RAID 0 with “Quad Interface” (FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, eSATA) is available for $869.99. The single-bay, 4TB versions of the OWC Mercury Elite Pro are priced from $429.99.

The lucky winner of a Buffalo LinkStation Pro Quad worth £450, courtesy of Buffalo Technology, is Philip Kendall.

The Buffalo LinkStation Pro Quad (LS-QVL) is the ideal storage solution for discerning home and SOHO users. This high performance, dual drive NAS device can be configured in RAID 0 (striping) for maximum performance and RAID 1 (mirroring) for maximum data security. Even if a hard drive fails, your important files will remain safe. Streaming of digital content too, is a breeze at ultra fast data transfer speed of 72MB per second. For a busy home or SOHO user, the LinkStation Pro Quad – which runs on a high-speed Marvel 1.6GHz CPU - is a natural choice. Buffalo products can be purchased from Amazon.

Make sure to visit the Buffalo Technology UK Facebook page for all the latest news.

This contest closed on Thursday 23/02/2011.

The 3 lucky winners of a Kingston Wi-Drive, which enhances the usability of your Apple iOS wi-fi device, are Richard Griffith, Peter Barber and Murray Kellett.

The Kingston Wi-Drive lets you share your favourite content with your favourite people. The Wi-Drive offers up to 16GB of portable storage and wireless file sharing for Apple devices, including iPod touch Gen 3 & 4, iPhone and iPad. Your content can be shared simultaneously by three users on their own devices, whether at home by the pool, or off the beaten path on a camping trip Rugged and easy to use, it comes with a USB cable and requires an App downloadable at Apple’s App Store. The Wi-Drive utilises Flash-based storage technology to promote wireless portable storage in an external device that is independent of the basic portable Apple device. Is features integrated Wi-Fi and four hours of battery life and is backed by a one-year warranty, 24/7 technical support and legendary Kingston reliability.

Watch a video of the Kingston Wi-Drive here.

This contest closed on Thursday 23/02/2011.

Sigma has issued firmware updates for the Sigma DP1x and DP2x large-sensor compact cameras. Both firmware upgrades add a number of new menu languages and incorporate several bug fixes that should improve overall operational stability. The updates can be downloaded from the following websites.

Website: Sigma DP1x Firmware Update 1.03
Website: Sigma DP2x Firmware Update 1.02

The free version of Zoner Photo Studio 14 is now available. “Users will definitely appreciate the new editing features,” says development team director Akes Hasala. “The already wide range of features like shadow brightening, clone stamping, panorama photography and advanced red eye reduction have been enriched with new functions and tools like Deform tool which helps with popular tasks like slimming a person’s figure or advanced facial adjustments to name a few. But what I am most proud of is the integration with our photosharing service, Zonerama.com.” In addition to the free version, a Pro edition is also available, providing extra functionality including advanced photo corrections, advanced raw processing, a HDR wizard, and more. Those who download the free version of the program can also try out Zoner Photo Studio 14 Pro for 30 days.

Sigma UK have announced a new digital SLR camera kit including the Sigma SD1 Merrill body and a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens. The 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens is a large aperture standard zoom lens designed for digital SLR cameras and incorporates Sigma’s Optical Stabiliser as well as a HyperSonic Motor for quiet focusing.  It is a compact lens with an overall length of just 91.8mm (3.6”). The new kit is available for £2149.99. (The Sigma SD1 Merrill camera body has a suggested retail price of £1839.99.)

Booq has announced its new Python camera bag collection. The collection includes a toploader, a courier bag, a backpack and a sling bag. The Python toploader ($89.95) has been designed to protect any size DSLR with large lens attached or a DSLR with smaller lens attached plus a second small lens The Python courier bag ($179.95) accommodates a large DSLR with attached lens and up to four additional lenses, and features concealed interior pockets sized for flash cards and other accessories as well as an exterior pocket sized for the Apple iPad. The Python sling bag ($229.95) provides storage for 1-2 SLR cameras, up to 4 mid-size lenses, 1 large zoom lens, tripod, plus an 11” - 13” laptop or tabket. Finally, the Python backpack ($259.95) fits 1-2 DSLRs, up to 4 mid-size lenses, 1 large zoom lens, tripod, tablet and a laptop (up to 15”).

Ricoh will release the first function-expansion firmware update for the Ricoh GR Digital IV on 27th February. The firmware update incorporates ideas taken from the many opinions and requests we received from customers who filled out a survey when they registered their cameras. These include the option to record copyright information in the EXIF data, an improvement in auto focus speed, the ability to assign the ADJ lever or the Fn button to saving the snap focus distance and the addition of “floating black level adjustment” to Interval Composite Mode shooting.

Plustek has announced the OpticFilm 8100 and 8200i SE/Ai 35mm film scanners. Featuring identical hardware as the existing OpticFilm 7400 and 7600i models, respectively, the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 and 8200i offer an optical resolution of 7200dpi, a low-power LED light source, multi-sampling and multi-exposure capabilities; with the 8200i model also boasting infrared scanning technology to combat dust and scratches. What differentiates the OpticFilm 8xxx models from the older range is that they come with Version 8 of LaserSoft Imaging’s acclaimed SilverFast scanning software. As before, the SE and Ai designations indicate which SilverFast edition comes bundled with the scanner (SilverFast Ai Studio is more complex and feature-packed than SilverFast SE). Additionally, the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i Ai scanner ships with an IT8 colour calibration target, which is not included with the other two models. The OpticFilm 8100 - which does not feature infrared scanning - is available for £219.99, the OpticFilm 8200i SE for £299.99, and the OpticFilm 8200i Ai for £439.99.